League: Moerewa back on top of table

Portland Panther centre Sharif Mangu's (with ball) team are one of several serious contenders for this year's tight-knit Rugby League Northland Premiership. Photo / John Stone

Competition for premiership title a close contest

To say competition in the Rugby League Northland Premiership is tight this year would be a massive understatement.

With five teams sitting on 10 points, and only points differential separating them, Moerewa are back on top of the table, bouncing back after two consecutive losses with a resounding 56-18 win over the Otangarei Knights on Saturday.

Sitting in second are the Takahiwai Warriors who were outdone in a classic local derby match in front of a huge crowd at Portland, by the Panthers 20-18.

It was a huge day for both clubs starting at 9am in the morning with their 6s, 8s, 10s, 12s and 14s all playing curtain-raisers to the main event.

For Portland, the win takes them into third place and would go a long way to building their confidence as legitimate title contenders.

In 2014 they showed potential but often stumbled in the final 10 minutes of big games.

Their recent form in the last three weeks has seen them beat both Moerewa and Takahiwai at home while they lost narrowly to Hokianga away.

Hikurangi and Otangarei round out the top five. Otangarei were the fortunate recipients of four extra points last week when they won an appeal against Hikurangi from their round one loss for Hikurangi fielding an unregistered player.

They also benefited from Hokianga playing an unregistered player in their round three loss.

Both games are now registered as wins for the Knights.

Rounding out the top six are the Northern Wairoa Bulls, who have a superior points differential over Muriwhenua and Hokianga, with the three clubs each sitting on six points.

The Bulls narrowly lost in the weekend in an epic Rugby League match against the Muriwhenua Falcons.

Both teams traded tries before the match was turned on its head with a scintillating 100m try, set up by Te Puhi Rudolph who gathered a kick from in his own in goal - first he fended

the first defender with the biggest fend of the century, then he ducked and weaved through the Bulls.

With Kerikeri's withdrawal from the competition, the Horahora Broncos sit alone on the bottom of the table with only two points. However their form has shown that they can still be in consideration for a top six finish.